


Latent

by ferric



Series: Complicated [4]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, so gen it hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 00:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8423449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferric/pseuds/ferric
Summary: Victor worried Yuri sometimes, but he didn’t now.





	

Victor hadn’t been planning on getting into an argument, but Yuri had started it so it was technically his fault. For doubting Victor’s gaydar.

“Just because you’re gay doesn’t mean every guy that you see is,” Yuri said, followed by a loud _bang_ of metal locker slamming shut, nearly taking Victor’s right ear out. He must be done with practice then. “Besides, why are you so worried about who Japanese Yuuri is fucking anyway? You should be more concerned about tomorrow when you’re going to show me that routine—”

“Just because I’m the only gay guy you know doesn’t mean I’m the only gay guy out there,” Victor said, unable to answer Yuri’s “I know that!!” because he was trying to keep his phone from flying out of his hand when Makkachin decided that he really wanted to sit on Victor’s lap this very moment. “Well, I’ll find out tomorrow anyway when I ask Yuuri himself.”

“How are you going to ask Yuuri himself?”

Oops. That was a mistake. He hadn’t meant to let that one slip.

“Oi! Aren’t you going to help me at practice tomorrow?? Where are you going?”

“I’m taking a vacation,” Victor said. There. That was a diplomatic answer. Crisis averted. Judging from Yuri’s reaction to Yuuri at the Grand Prix final, Victor knew that if he wanted to save his eardrum from a premature death, he needed to keep his mouth shut.

“No, you’re not.” Oh boy, Victor could hear the characteristic hissing that indicated the beginning of Yuri’s angry fit over the phone. “Where are you right now??”

“Seoul.”

Yuri spluttered. “What??”

“I’m waiting for my connecting flight.”

There was a moment of silence. Victor internally winced as he waited patiently for Yuri to connect the dots. There was no way Yuri was going to miss the implication. He could practically hear the gears in Yuri’s head turning as he replayed their entire conversation.

Victor silently apologized to his poor eardrum for the impending doom.

“You’re going to Japan??” Yuri sounded shocked and outraged and accusatory all at once, and well, there was no need for that. Victor was an adult (although sometimes he didn’t feel all twenty-seven years of his life, you know?). He could go wherever and whenever he wanted. “You can’t just—leave and just—Victor you can’t go to Japan!”

“Well, I’m going!” Victor said cheerfully. He didn’t know why he couldn’t go. He was going to see Yuuri. He was going to see how Yuuri skates. He was going to ask about Yuuri’s hobbies. He was going to find out if Yuuri was dating anyone. He was going to see if Yuuri was cool with dating guys. Japan was going to be _great_. Of course Victor had to go to Japan.

“But you promised me that you would help me!” Yuri screeched.

“Did I?” Victor scratched Makkachin behind his ear. Poor baby was stuck in the pet shipping container all by himself from the last flight. Victor needed to make it up to him somehow. “I promise that I will spoil you when we get there, okay?”

“What??”

“Oh sorry, I was talking to my dog.”

“……….”

“…..”

“…Victor, you’re lucky that I admire your skating. Because I hate you sometimes.”

“Okay! Since you hate me, you should definitely ask Yakov to help you instead!” Victor said, hearing an opportunity to escape and shamelessly taking it. “Have fun! Bye!”

“Victor wait where in Japan—” Victor cut off Yuri’s screeching with a firm press on “End call.” Whew, that was a rough call. The number of Russians pissed at him had increased to two, and Victor was fairly sure that the number would grow exponentially tomorrow when the tabloids and social media got wind of this.

Oh well. Yakov did tell him to take a break. So he was taking one. Besides, nothing healed one’s soul better than a soak in the hot spring with adorable naked men (or one particular man, in this case).

***

***

***

It turned out that Hasetsu, Japan was even better than he’d expected. Even with Yuri barging in without an invitation, accusing him of forgetting their promise.

Victor’s first thought was “Wait, what promise?” and his second thought was “Oh boy…” when he remembered the incident that Yuri was referring to. Whoops. It probably would be helpful if he wrote things like this down so that he would actually remember them properly. He was getting old. That thought was depressing. (At least his hair hadn’t fallen out yet). Oh well. What was done was done. It wasn’t like he couldn’t write a routine for Yuri right now anyway.

“So, it seems that Yuuri doesn’t date a lot. Or at all, really,” Victor told Yuri one day after practice. “I did a lot of research.”

Yuri looked curious at first, but once he caught himself caring about something other than skating, he quickly changed his expression into a scowl. “Who cares? You’re supposed to be my coach right now.” He pulled his skates off his feet and frowned at the familiar bruising on his feet.

“Practice for the day is done,” Victor pointed out, watching Yuri wiggle his toes. “So I’m not talking as your coach right now.”

Yuri blinked as he turned to Victor. The curious expression was back. “So…what are you to me right now?”

Victor froze, if only for a moment. He felt unsteady on his feet, like the time when the reporters at the Grand Prix had asked, ‘ _What are your plans for the next season? Are you going to retire?_ ’ and Victor had felt like the walls of the ice rink were closing in on him, and he didn’t remember the next step in his routine. The ice surface felt rough under his skates. Without really thinking about it, he said, “What do you need me to be?” The words felt worn and familiar but they made Victor feel hollow.

Yuri made a disgusted noise and turned away. “Urg. Why do you have to be so gross?”

Victor smiled. They were back in familiar territory. He could feel the icy surface now polished with the Zamboni; the scratches left by Yuri easily smoothed away. He felt calm once more. “If it helps you and Yuuri skate better, I don’t mind being a little gross!”

Yuri scoffed. “Whatever. I don’t care as long as you coach me.”

Yuuri had gone before them since he’d wanted to finish his evening run before dinner, so Victor left together with Yuri. The day was chilling into night, and Victor allowed himself a few seconds to miss St. Petersburg. He thought of his apartment, still empty now as it had always been, and forced himself to stop thinking about it. Okay, reminiscing time over.

“You know,” Yuri spoke up, his voice strangely soft for someone who was so used to being as loud as possible to make up for his small stature. Victor felt the evening chill creeping into his back, and he knew that whatever Yuri was going to say would unsettle him for the rest of the evening.

Yuri stopped in his tracks, but Victor kept on walking. When Yuri showed no sign of catching up, he paused and turned back to see Yuri looking conflicted.

Yuri’s frown deepened as he said, “You worry me sometimes.”

Victor chuckled and gave Yuri a smile that he didn’t feel. “What is there to worry about?”

***

***

***

The next day, Victor snuck out to eat at Nagahama Ramen since he knew Yuuri and Yuri would be out at the waterfall for most of the afternoon. He needed some time alone, he thought. Yuri had knocked him off his feet yesterday, and he needed to wash away the feeling that was awfully close to the sudden drop in his stomach when he knew he wasn’t going to complete his jump.

The first slurp of noodles brought back warmth to his chest, and Victor felt better already. “Vkusno!”

“E—excuse us.”

“Hmmm?” Victor mumbled with the second serving of noodles in his mouth. Yuuri appeared on his right side, face flushing an adorable red. “I’m sorry, but he insisted that we come!”

“ _Who?_ ” Victor thought, and then a familiar rude voice rang out from his left side. Victor turned to see Yuri barking his order at the overwhelmed ramen chef. He took the seat on Victor’s left without asking.

Yuuri chuckled nervously before taking the seat to his right. “Sorry for the intrusion. I did try to tell him that you might want to eat alone.”

Before Victor could reassure him that it was really alright, that he didn’t mind company, Yuri spoke up. “Victor is the last person in the world that should be left alone, really.”

The words scraped Victor raw. His skin tingled with heat. It wasn’t a bad feeling.

Remembering belatedly that Yuuri was here and he couldn’t possibly suspect, Victor scrambled to figure out what he should say. But then Yuuri smiled, ever so gently and accepting, and Victor’s thought process came to an abrupt halt.

“I really would love it if we can eat together every day,” Yuuri said. The late afternoon’s last speck of fading light brushes over his face with a tender touch. “Because,” and here, Yuuri frantically looked away, not daring to meet Victor’s eyes. “I really like being with you, Victor.”

Victor felt himself growing warm. He wanted to swallow down the emotions that had bubbled up and tightened around his throat, to restore the calmness he desperately wanted to feel, but for the first time since the uncertainty after the Grand Prix had haunted him, he wanted to enjoy these fluttering feelings in his stomach just a bit longer.

“I’m glad. Let’s eat together every day from now on,” Victor said, and Yuuri beamed.

To his left, Yuri snorted, but Victor could tell, from the way he tried so hard to hold back a smile, that Yuri was secretly pleased.

His heart felt full.

***

***

***

“I still worry for you, you know?”

were Yuri’s last words to Victor before he returned to Russia.

***

***

***

It was unexpectedly lonely after Yuri left. Yuuri was…difficult, because even though Victor understood him better now, Yuuri still closed himself off from him. Victor knew that he could be understanding and patient. He knew that he could be insistent. He knew that he could pull Yuuri out of his shell. He knew what Yuuri needed. He knew he could give Yuuri everything.

“What do you want me to be to you?” Victor said. He had said it so many times, to his coach, to Yuri, to his audience—he knew he could be anyone—he could be any role necessary. It was why people couldn’t keep their eyes off him. It was the only way Victor knew how to tie people to him. “A father figure?”

“No.”

“A brother, then? A friend?”

When Yuuri didn’t give him a reply, the cold drop in Victor’s stomach, the same one that snuck up on him when he knew he was going to fall on the ice, crept up once more. He tightened his grip around Makkachin, arm seeking the warmth underneath the fur.

“Then, your boyfriend, I guess.” Victor said. “I can try my best.”

Yuuri jerked up at that. It was fascinating how high he jumped into the air, really. “No no no no no!!” Yuuri flailed his arms in protest.

“I want you to stay who you are, Victor!”

Victor turned to Yuuri, surprised by the conviction in Yuuri’s words.

“I’ve always looked up to you,” Yuuri said, and then dropped his gaze to the side to avoid meeting Victor in the eye, as if gathering his thoughts. “I ignored you because I didn’t want you to see my shortcomings. But I’ll make it up to you with my skating!”

“Okay,” Victor said. “I won’t let you off easy then.” He smiled and offered his hand to shake. “That’s my way of showing my love.”

Yuuri’s grip on his hand was surprisingly strong, and he looked more determined than Victor had ever seen him. The strength hidden deep inside Yuuri surfaced, and Victor was struck with the thought that they were going to be amazing together this season. The future felt clear, for the first time.

Just as he was about to slip his hand from the handshake, Yuuri tightened his grip.

Victor tilted his head to the side. “Hmmm?”

“Even if this is only for one season,” Yuuri said. “I want to be by your side every day. I want to be someone you can rely on. So please, depend on me!”

Victor swallowed, overwhelmed by love. Yuuri needed him. Yuuri wanted him. Just him. Just as Victor.

“Okay. I will be in your care then,” he said, defeated by Yuuri’s gentle strength, and thought it wasn’t too bad of a loss if the loneliness that dwelled within him felt that less heavy.

***

***

***

It took him a week after the assignments for next season came out to call Yuri. He let Yuri rant for a while about his frustration with the ballet instructor and his vow to get revenge at the Rostelecom cup in Russia. It was their familiar routine, and one that Victor took comfort in.

But then Yuri became silent all of a sudden. Victor knew what he wanted to ask. Victor had known since the call before he came to Hasetsu that Yuri had been holding these words deep inside, afraid to let them out because he didn’t know how to handle Victor’s answer.

“Are you alright?” Yuri asked. “Really alright?”

Victor could lie. He could laugh it off and say something that diverged from this topic, and he knew Yuri would play along with him.

“I’m not sure if I was fine before,” Victor admitted, and the sharp inhale over the phone line was difficult to hear, but he pushed on. “But I think I’m going to be fine now.”

“Yeah,” Victor smiled, remembering the salty air of the ocean, the seagulls soaring overhead on a warm morning, Yuuri’s hand warm and steady around his. He remembered feeling more certain about the future than he’d ever felt before. “I’m not alone anymore, you know.”

Yuri scoffed. “You were never alone.”

It was as close as Yuri was going to get to admitting that they were, in a strange way, friends.

“Thanks, Yuri.”

Yuri made a choking noise, and then tried to backtrack to save his dignity. “Fuck, I didn’t mean that—I meant like you have Yakov and—urg don’t make this weird.”

“You walked yourself straight into this one!” Victor said cheerfully. “Just admit it. We’re—”

“Enemies now!” Yuri shouted, frantically trying to escape. “I’m going to fucking defeat you both in Russia, you’ll see!”

Victor laughed, feeling fiercely loved.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> is this occ? lol probably. victor is a mystery to me. im still trying to figure him out. ಥ⌣ಥ
> 
> thank you nikooki@tumblr for the beta!!


End file.
